Netanyahu casts vote in Israel polls, urges supporters to ‘wake up vote Likud’ as voter turnout hits 31.5% at noon
Jerusalem : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, cast their ballots at a polling station in Jerusalem in the ongoing election to the Knesset.
Earlier, Netanyahu urged his supporters to come out in larger numbers alleging that the left-aligned voters had come out in full force.
“This is an emergency call! The future of our Jewish state hangs in the balance. Go out and vote right now! Higher-than-usual voter turnout in the Arab sector compared to the low turnout of right-wing voters. We must wake up – we must not stay home. We’re going out and voting right and bringing as many people as possible,” he posted on X.
“The left’s activists are storming the polling stations—and the right’s activists are indifferent. This is the time to wake up. Go out and get others out to vote—vote Likud,” he posted on X.
His principal rival, Gadi Eisenkot who continued campaigning with voters on election day also urged people to go out and vote saying, “I know the lines are long, I ask you to show patience. The change is on its way. No one will be allowed to endanger the change.”
Voter turnout stood at 31.5% at 12 noon which according to the Central Elections Committee is the highest at this hour since 1977. Meanwhile, Israel President Isaac Herzog visited the Central Election Committee headquarters and told reporters that the fate of the nation was in the hands of the voters.
“It is a real holiday of democracy, and no one can be allowed to ruin it — quite the opposite, this is our opportunity, all of us, to influence our fate, the fate of our children, and the fate of our grandchildren. It is something that is deeply embedded inside of our spirit, as a very democratic nation,” he was reported as saying by Times of Israel.
“We are putting different slips in the ballot, and we are expressing different opinions, in the end we have a common fate. A common fate in this land, a common fate in our beloved country, and this election process is another way to express our love for our country,” he added.
Herzog will play a critical role in Government formation. After the votes are tallied later tonight, President Herzog will consult the leaders of the elected parties before tasking the lawmaker he believes has the best chance of forming a government. That candidate will have 28 days to cobble together a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension.
If those efforts fail, a second party leader may be given 28 days (without an extension) to try, and if that attempt falls short, a majority of 61 MKs can request that the president assign the task to a particular lawmaker within a further 21-day period.
A government must ultimately win the majority of the Knesset’s votes to take office, though a minority government can take office with fewer than 61 supporters if abstentions leave it with more votes in favour than against. If all attempts fail, Israel faces another election, with Netanyahu remaining caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed.
